PRE-tax profits at Orion Group, the Inverness-based global recruitment specialist, have increased by just under 50% as the company supplied staff for major energy projects in Asia-Pacific and the North Sea.

Orion, which derives 70% of its recruitment business from the oil and gas sector, booked earnings before tax of £11.66 million in the year it celebrated 25 years in business.

The independent company, established by group chairman Alan Savage, saw turnover rise by 15% to £355.2m, from £307.8m in 2011, with half of sales overseas.

New offices were opened by Orion in India and Iraq last year which, combined with offices it has added in Malaysia, The Netherlands and Brazil since year end, takes the number of sites operated by the firm to 36.

The oil and gas sector remained a key sector for the group in 2012, though its directors noted in its latest accounts the contributions made by its activities in aerospace, rail, civil construction, IT and telecoms, power generation, petrochemicals, renewables and permanent placements.

Mr Savage said: "The international oil and gas market has been good for us, especially Asia Pacific. Across the board it probably represents about 70% of our business.

"The major oil companies, Exxon [Mobil], BP and Shell, have all got big projects in the region [Asia-Pacific].

"We have been operating internationally since 1995 when we first went out to Azerbaijan.

"It has been a co-ordinated effort since then to develop internationally. About 50% of our business is outside the UK."

Mr Savage said the company invests in excess of £1m a year in opening new offices and recruiting people overseas.

It currently employs 401 staff in 36 countries, with 3000 personnel in the UK and 1500 overseas on assignment at any one time.

While Mr Savage has pledged to continue to expand its international footprint - sites in Mozambique, South Africa and Brazil are under consideration on the strength of a range of upstream and downstream projects - he insisted the North Sea remains important to Orion's fortunes.

He said: "We have got 1000 people working out of Aberdeen on and offshore. If anything the demand [for oil and gas workers] is getting higher."

On the firm's current financial year, Mr Savage said the firm had increased its headcount in Inverness to prepare it for the next phase of growth. He noted that if turnover doubles by the half-year stage it will have reached just under £400m.

Meanwhile, work is continuing on phase three of the extension of Orion's HQ in the Highland capital, which when by the time it is ready for occupancy in January will lead to further recruitment. Some 20 new roles could be added to its current team of 120.

Mr Savage said: "We will need to bring some key people in and expand some departments, especially the financial [and] fiscal areas you need to support international development, because we do everything from the UK. We are proud to be a Scottish company with worldwide headquarters in Inverness. We are fairly unique in that respect - all our competition have head offices down south, in the States, in Japan or Holland."